meridiacampaignsettingfandomcom-20200213-history
Myst Thornstrider
Early Life From the day Myst Thornstrider was born, he had been different. The midwife was exceedingly perturbed by the fact that this newly delievered baby boy did not cry out in dismay of having been ejected from his mother's safe and comfortable womb. Instead, he nonchalantly (if a newborn can be described as such) rested in the arms of the his evictor. Fearing some deficiency in the babe, the midwife turned him over and landed a zealous slap on his bottom. The response of the attack proved that Myst was indeed a special being. Startled by the slap, he showed his Aasimar heritage by lighting up the room prevously darkened with the last remaining colors of the night just before dawn. It was through this first act of his life that he received the title of "the Dawnbringer" from the elders of the Red Oak Grove. Thandren and Natiri Thornstrider were very proud of their firstborn being blessed with so much celestial power, though it differed from their own. Four years later, they were again blessed with an Aasimar offspring, this time a girl they named Ivy. Myst was an indulgent elder brother to Ivy, relying on their parents to be the protectors and disciplinarians. Ever since she could walk, instead of taking the lead, he would often be seen following Ivy on her whims and fancies. Myst was a curious child, though never enough to get him into any serious trouble. He had always been more interested in the functions and reasonings behind the action than the action itself, making him a rather different sort of student of the grove. When his father noticed that Myst had no talent or inclination for the bow or any other weapons, his mother started to train him in the ways of druids. Although Myst was proficient at the working of minor druidic spells, he never could advance beyond the most basic levels. Sensing that his powers may come from within, the elders named him a Life Blood Druid. From a sweet faced boy, Myst soon grew to be a handsome young man by his early teens. With piercing blue eyes and a ready smile on an almost perfect face framed with wavy blonde hair worn loose down to his shoulders, Myst never lacked admirers. Favors were often bestowed upon him by young maidens in and around the Grove. Having a naturally tender disposition as well as being raised to respect and be polite to those around him, Myst was the unwitting cause of many quarrels between those who thought to lay claim to his heart. Without intending to, by his kind actions he often caused one maid or another to think that he favored them above all else. And when those maidens boasted of abtaining his favor, they were frequently met with another with similar claim. Myst, however, rarely paid heed to such going ons. He simply had no thought for matters of the heart when there was so much more learning to occupy his time. Leaving The Grove At fourteen, Myst started to feel surges of a power much different than those he had been accustomed to using and seeing other druids use. Though he could sometimes feel the existance of his developing powers, he could hardly control them. Myst sought help from his parents and the elders. After two years of attempts, no one in the grove were able to successfully direct him in the use of these new and growing powers. Fearing what harm uncontrolled power could bring, Myst decided to leave his family and the grove to seek help from the world outside. Many a maids shed woeful tears for the loss of their favorite on the day that Myst left. And many a lads secretly cheered with joy that they may finally have a chance to win a bride. Myst's journey was pleasant and lacked much hardship. He travelled from one city to another, seeking anyone with magical talent who may be able to teach him to control his powers. Although he did not have a lot of funds, he would often be gifted items or amenities from the fairer sex during his journey. Wives of innkeepers tended to pity a young man traveling alone with so few coins to his name, especially a pleasing looking one with good manners. They often allowed him to stay the night in the stables without charge or feed him in exchange for helping with a simple task or two. Daughters of innkeepers were also eager to provide him with free food and lodging. Though Myst found that the proposed free lodgings were more often than not the daughters' own beds. Having been thus enlightened, Myst avoided unnecessary complications by avoiding innkeepers with eligible daughters as much as he could. Meeting his "Mentor" Two years passed relatively uneventfully while Myst sought out a qualified instructor. He met with not a few wizards and witches who passed some of their knowledge to him. However, none were exactly suited to his particular type of magical talents. When passing a town one day, Myst heard tales of a strange tower in the middle of nowhere that was sometimes there and sometimes not. Curious and hopeful, Myst made his way in the direction of the tower. He was greeted at the tower's entrance by a flamboyant man with shoulder length flame-colored hair wearing tight black leather pants and an invitation to "explore his tower." Myst recognized similar power in the man and made his intentions known right away. The man, Bowen Mordinth, delighted with having a protege of Myst's visage, welcomed him with open arms, literally. Only after several days of hints and innuendoes did Myst finally realize, much to his surprise, that Bowen had intentions of showing him more than just the control of his magical powers. Using the often practiced tactics against willing maidens for the past couple of years, Myst humbly thanked him for bestowing his gracious interest but declining the offer in favor of simply being allowed to study the tomes of magic stored in Bowen's "oh-THIS-tower." Thankfully, even after his obvious disappointment at losing the chance to show Myst his other tower, Bowen remained an attentive host and eager instructor. Though he refused to officially take on Myst as a pupil for his own reasons, he imparted much knowledge to the younger sorcerer. Thus two more years passed with Myst taking up residence in Bowen's tower. Though the initial wonder and amazement at seeing the various rooms Bowen frequently conjured wore off, Myst was still constantly impressed by the extent of Bowen's powers. Myst rarely mingled with Bowen's other guests, of which there were many and varied in nature, preferring to spend his time learning and aspiring to become as powerful as Bowen someday. One day, Bowen took particular care to point out one guest to Myst, a young female knight named Athene Aitane. Although Myst thought nothing of it at the time, this young woman would lead to his reunion with his sister Ivy after four years of separation. Reunion and new beginnings The day he reunited with Ivy began as any other. Myst was trying to perfect a particularly difficult charm spell when Bowen dropped in. Not explaining much, Bowen insisted that Myst's time at the tower was at an end and that he should pack his belongings as well as provisions for travel. Myst could tell that Bowen was not displeased at him but rather gleeful about sending him away. He mentioned that Myst's help was needed for a group of companions whose cause he has taken an interest in, one of whom being the young female knight Myst had been made known of previously. Myst, apprehensive but ready to test his powers, prepared for the journey. That evening, Bowen returned and asked if Myst was ready to go. At his nod, Bowen held Myst's arm and produced a loud cracking sound, teleporting them both to the middle of a campsite. After adjusting his vision, Myst saw a group of four companions: the knight Athene Aitane which he already seen before in the tower, a man in travel garb with a nocked arrow pointed at him, a frightened looking young woman with red hair, and a much grown version of his sister, Ivy Thornstrider. In his light blue robe and standing at 5'11", the last remaining rounded edges of his face turned to sculpted perfection, Myst no doubt looked much different than he had when he left Red Oak Grove four years ago. Yet it took but a few seconds for Ivy to cry out his name and run to him with open arms. Myst looked briefly at Bowen and saw his satisfied smile before he waved and teleported himself away again with the yell of Athene for her horse trailing after. After appeasing Ivy's chides for not having contacted their family and friends sooner with his location and well-being, Myst learned that these four companions were on a quest to discover the intentions of ogres far from their natural habitats in search of something. Myst smiled to himself as he recalled following a much younger Ivy on her adventures around the grove many years before. Now, he was about to follow her on another. The group discovered a group of ogres conjuring a magical crystal which, in addition to throwing lightning at the group, doubled as a travelling mechanism. After following the beam to its destination, Myst and his companions successfully defeated over a dozen ogres to recover the book they used to conjure multiple magical crystals. However, the conjured crystals blasted open a passage within a mountain, leading to the Guardians of the Five Kings and their powerful golden bracers. Proving themselves worthy of receiving the golden bracers, the companions defeated the five guardians. They needed the bracers' powers in order to battle the five Cult of the Damned members bent on world destruction. Finding the Cult of the Damned was easier than doing battle with them. Even after killing three of the five, banishing one, and running off the last, Necrogu managed to unleash one last fearsome monstrocity upon the group before his death. After an awe-inspiring battle, the monstrocity was sent back to the abyss from which it was summoned. After saving the world from certain destruction, Myst returned to Red Oak Grove with Ivy. His return prompted joyous celebration from all the unwed maidens in and around the grove and grievous lament from all the maids who had wed during his four year absence. Myst spent a few months quietly in the grove with his parents and Ivy before he became restless for the wonders of the world. He left again to pursue the studying of magic and power. Many years passed before Myst would return again to the grove and settle down with the daughter of one of his admirers of the past. Having aged extremely well, he was still very handsome and distinguished in the eyes of his young bride, as well as many other females. It would seem his adventuring days finally came to an end as he settled comfortably in the grove, helping the villages surrounding it prosper while adhering to the balance of nature. Eventually Myst became an Elder and led the grove through many years of peace and mutual beneficial relationship with the villages.